Heart of Stone
by PhoenixstarKina
Summary: Set during Bad performance. The night sky had never seemed so dark, not like tonight. With a song in their minds, and a feud below them, but what of their own problems? Their past, present and future, intertwined like silk webs glistening with dew in the morning sun. The promises and secrets, the love and the loss.


Jeff sighed as he looked up, noting the lack of stars in the darkening sky. The other Warblers were in the basement of the parking garage, fighting with New Directions over who should do Michael. He did not particularly care who did what this time around. There were more troubling thoughts that came to his mind, above everything else. Just one thought, one _person_.

'Why'd it end this way?' The music wasn't playing around him, it was just inside. While the others were downstairs singing Bad, there was a different song that Jeff wanted.

_"__Can you keep a secret? Will you hold your hand? Among the flames," _His voice rang out into the clear sky as he swung his legs over the edge of the roof to dangle off the side. _"Honey you're a shipwreck. With your heart of stone."_

_"__Can I get a witness?" _Jeff turned his head to the door that led up to the roof. _"To the bruises and, the wasted tears." _The other boy walked out towards Jeff, his eyes full of sadness and calming.

_"__You could dry a river. With your heart of stone." _Jeff stood up on the ledge, jumping down to meet the other boy. One hand came around Jeff's waist, the other grasped his hand tightly and laced their fingers together in the beginnings of a slow dance to the music only they could hear. It was a sad lullaby, full of pain and anger and sadness. But nonetheless, they danced to it.

_"__I can breathee I can breathee, water, water."_ The other boy twirled Jeff around as they sang together.

_"__When you're here with me"_

_"__You're not here with me."_

They drew closer to each other, barely aware of the sound from the basement floating up like mist to them. The building could go up in flames around them, and they wouldn't notice it. Nothing would stop them, nothing would distract them. It was just the two singers, dancing to their own tempo in the moonless night, blissfully unaware of their friends.

_"__Can I pry your finger, from everything I, say and do?" _Jeff sung, bringing both of his arms to wrap around the other's shoulders gently, leaving just a light pressure on the other.

_"__And I just can't forget you. And your heart of stone." _The boy's voice was soft as he brought Jeff closer with arms around his waist. Their lips were just inches apart, but they never met.

_"__I can breathee, I can breathee, water, water." _They sang together once again, pouring everything into the words. _"I can breathee, I can breathee, water, water."_

_"__When you're here. With. Me." _Jeff breatheed as he shut his eyes tightly. This couldn't be any more but a dream, it had to be a dream. Or something went wrong downstairs, he fell and hit his head or Sebastian beat him to a pulp. _"You're not here. With. Me."_

But the feather-light kiss on his lips made everything so _real_. The memories of before, the _touch_, the _sight_, it was all there. It was all real. _This_ was _real_.

"Kurt…" Jeff's voice wavered as he clutched tightly to the back of Kurt's shirt. His hands were shaking with the pressure, but he wouldn't let go. "What are we doing?"

"We're hurting." Kurt whispered the answer. "We're doing things wrong, we're with the wrong people, everything's just wrong." His thumb rubbed at Jeff's hip, soothing the boy into a dull calmness.

"What happened to us?" Jeff asked himself that question all the time, and now was the time to ask Kurt.

"We fell apart."

It seemed like Kurt had all the answers. No matter what Jeff asked, Kurt had a reply ready. And Jeff was ready to follow anything he said.

"This fighting is stupid." Not just their fight, but the fight between their show choirs. Jeff buried his head in Kurt's chest. "We have to stop it."

"What if we can't? What then?"

Jeff sighed. "I don't know. But I hate this, I hate having to follow Sebastian just because David and Thad are too scared to stand up to him. I wish Wes was back…" He hesitated. "I wish you were back. Everything was just so _easy_ with you there."

"I can't come back Jeff. Blaine-"

"I don't care about Blaine!" Jeff yelled. "What about me! I was yours first! You were mine first!" He knew it was childish, but it didn't matter at that point. He and Kurt were together first, far before Blaine laid some sort of claim on Kurt, far before that terrible fight that drove them apart. "It's not fair…"

Kurt said nothing, just hugged Jeff closer as the boy broke into sobs. He rested his cheek on top of Jeff's head, breatheing in the familiar scent of apple and vanilla. Jeff loved the two scents, and so did Kurt. It was one thing they always agreed on, one thing that never changed. Even after being apart, Kurt still kept the cologne that smelled of apple and vanilla, and Jeff always used the same shampoo. Blaine never knew why, but Nick could tell from the start.

"Why can't we just be us again?"

"…We could." Kurt finally spoke up in a soft voice. Jeff was amazed he could hear the other boy. "But I couldn't ask that of you."

"Ask me! Kurt, ask me anything, I'll do it! Please." Jeff begged.

"Transfer."

Jeff blinked. "Huh?"

"Transfer. That would be what could keep us together. But I can't ask you to. McKinley isn't safe."

"But it's where you are." Jeff looked up at Kurt. "And that's the safest place for me to be."

_I can breathe _

_I can breathe, water, water _

_I can breathe _

_I can breathe, water, water _

They kissed, deeper this time before separating. "I can't let you get hurt Jeffy. You can't transfer."

"Kurt," Jeff tucked his head under Kurt's chin. "I don't _want_ to be at Dalton anymore. The Warblers aren't the same, not after Sebastian came in and took over. They're not, I can't stay with them." Jeff looked down to the ground. "Besides…I know something about them that would break you…and I can't keep that any longer. I don't want to hurt you like they are."

Yelling from downstairs finally grew to reach them, bringing them from the trance. It was surprising that no one had called the cops yet. "We have to stop them."

"Yeah." Jeff agreed. As Kurt moved away, Jeff stopped him. "I'm not going back with them. Someone else is."

Kurt paused. "I know."

_I can breathe _

_I can breathe, water, water _

_I can breathe _

_I can breathe, water, water_

They ran downstairs, taking the car ramps to get there faster.

"-Lying cheat!"

"-hypocritical bitch!"

"I would never-"

"-Prep school drop out!"

Jeff slowed down as they reached the basement, but Kurt kept running, planning on helping the New Directions however he could.

But they weren't the first to notice him. Sebastian turned his head as Kurt's footsteps echoed through the building.

Jeff noticed the cup in Sebastian's hands, "KURT!"

The warning came too late.

Sebastian threw the slushy, Kurt couldn't stop in time. The slushy hit its mark, and Kurt fell screaming to the ground.

Jeff raced to his side, falling to his knees and trying to pry Kurt's hands away from his face. He was horrified to find how easy it was to do. Kurt's skin was red from the dye and cold, and all around his eyes, were scratches. _The rock salt…_ He heard a few of the newer Warblers talking about it, but he thought nothing of it before.

"Someone call 911!"

"Don't let them leave!"

"Jeff," In all the commotion, Tina managed to make her way over to Kurt and Jeff. "Jeff what's wrong?"

Jeff looked up at the girl, tears falling nonstop from his eyes. "He's allergic to rock salt" The boy sobbed. "…deathly, allergic."

_When you're here with me _

_You're not here with me_


End file.
